Walters said the ACU learned of the diagnosis directly from the infected man on Saturday and promptly notified attendees and the media. He said that other gold-level ticket holders have been contacted directly about their fellow ticket holder’s infection. Walters said he did not know how many gold ticket holders there were in total, but that it was more than 10.
But attendees are condemning organizers’ handling of the exposure, saying it has been marred by vague communication. VIPs have gotten preferential access to vital medical information, multiple attendees said.
High-profile attendees who did not interact with the infected attendee received assurances from organizers that they were not directly exposed, according to a person privy to those communications, while rank-and-file attendees have had to settle for vague emails from organizers.
Walters denied that organizers are providing preferential communication to elected officials.
„We find ourselves in this position in the middle of having to play this role in the middle of a public health situation. We’re going to be as transparent as is possible,” he said. “And that’s a reflection of our values and how we deal with the public and with the media.“
“At a time like this, communication needs to be fast, up to the minute and precise,” said conservative media personality Raheem Kassam, who has voiced his concerns publicly on Twitter, saying he has fallen ill since attending the conference and struggled to get access to coronavirus testing. Kassam has said on Twitter that the infected person had access to a green room, backstage where speakers waited for their public appearances.
Walters contested that, saying, „The person had an elevated ticket, but that does not allow him to go into the green room.“ A $5,750 gold ticket package provides attendees “Private access to the Gold Lounge,” which is next to the speaker’s green room, according to CPAC’s website.
The ticket provides access to a number of private events, including “priority seating” at the Ronald Reagan dinner, a Wednesday night event that often features high-profile participants. Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, among others, spoke at this year’s Reagan dinner, which took place in the main ballroom. Walters said the man did not attend the Wednesday night dinner.
Gosar’s chief of staff, Tom Van Flein, said the man met Gosar and his entourage on Thursday afternoon as they exited the green room area and walked with them down a hallway, engaging in a 15- to 20-minute conversation. The other three lawmakers who have been publicly identified as having contact with the infected man also spoke at CPAC on Thursday. Other Thursday speakers included Sen. Mike Lee and Vice President Mike Pence. Walters said Pence did not have contact with the infected man. CPAC organizers contacted Lee and told him he did not have contact with the infected man, according to the Utah senator’s communications director, Conn Carroll.
„CPAC is handling it exactly the wrong way,” said conservative social media agitator Mike Cernovich, who hosted a “Night for Freedom” party during the conference. “They told Cruz. They told Gosar but they haven’t told the other people who were in and around the green room.”
Cernovich said the person who was infected did not come to his party, but that members of the group the man attended the conference with did.
“There’s one tier of people with information and another tier without,” said CPAC regular Jack Posobiec, a correspondent for the conservative One America News Network who said he briefly attended the site of this year’s conference. He said questions and concerns about exposure at the conference were gripping pro-Trump grassroots circles. “Of course my phone’s been blowing up,” he said.
Multiple people remarked on an email sent to conference attendees on Saturday informing them that an unnamed attendee had tested positive at a New Jersey hospital after being exposed to the virus before CPAC. “This attendee had no interaction with the president or the vice president and never attended the events in the main hall,” read the email, which urged anyone with questions to contact the Maryland Department of Health. A follow-up email on Sunday assured attendees that no one else has yet tested positive in connection with CPAC.
„What annoys me is CPAC spends the whole fucking email reassuring me that Trump is fine and not anything about the person in question or whether we, who attended are fine,” said a former Trump administration official who attended CPAC. “Have something in there about contacting CDC if you have symptoms or something. I don’t care about Trump’s health.“
Van Flein said Gosar was informed of his exposure to the infected man by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a phone call. McCarthy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Van Flein said on Monday afternoon that Gosar and his aides who were present for interactions with the man had not developed symptoms.
On Monday, Collins and Gaetz said they had been informed Monday that they had had contact with the infected man and were undergoing self-quarantines.
Source: politico.com
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